This invention relates to a viewing tube for reading water meters which may be submerged in water below the surface of the ground.
Water meters are typically installed below ground in meter boxes to prevent freezing. Frequently because of poor drainage etc. water is trapped in the meter box, making it difficult to obtain a correct reading, particularly when the water is muddy. One approach has been to bail water out of the box, a costly and time consumming procedure.
Various viewing devices have been proposed to solve the problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,916 to Bell relates to a meter reading tube that may be compressed to force a jet of water out of the tube to flush the face of the meter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,437 to Story discloses a meter reading tube that includes an internal light assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,871 to Creech discloses a viewing tube that has a flexible, transparent closure to conform to the face of the meter.